Developments, dams are draining

If existing residents are being asked to bite the bullet, why are local governments digging us into an even deeper hole by approving giant, water-thirsty housing subdivisions, office parks and shopping centers in our state's hottest, driest regions? Could it be because our local elected officials are so dependent on developer campaign contributions that they refuse to act logically, and they saddle existing voters with water shortages instead?

Don Wood

La Mesa, Calif.

*

Re "Gov. renews dam plan after ruling limits water," Sept. 6

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to build two new dams and a canal around or through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. There is no water left to fill his dams. All of our state's water resources are already overcommitted, which is why the delta's ecosystem is collapsing and the delta smelt, the basic food fish for the bigger fish in the delta, is about to go extinct. These are dams that the supposed beneficiaries are unwilling to pay for.

Yet we are told that the Metropolitan Water District has planned well, that it has plenty of storage and has kept total water use flat. And now the district is planning further reductions in consumption by maximizing our use of local resources through conservation, wastewater reuse and better groundwater management. We can save the delta and provide for our water needs much quicker and much more cheaply by following the district's lead than by building the governor's massive infrastructure projects.